Anyhoo, as forecast by some on here, a culchie alliance in the Dáil has been formed in opposition to the new National Plan on the basis that it is too Dublin centred, and doesn't include a free LUAS for everyone in the audience from outside the M50.

A coalition of opposition TDs has warned that the National Planning Framework will not pass the Oireachtas, claiming that the 20-year development plan for the country is “unbalanced” in favour of Dublin and will “kill rural Ireland”.

Labour TD Alan Kelly, who launched the plan as minister for the environment in late 2015, joined with Fianna Fáil’s Éamon Ó Cuív, Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin and Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice to raise objections to the draft framework, arguing that it was “unsupportable” in its current format.

The group, styling itself as the Coalition Against the National Planning Framework, plans to run a national campaign, including public meetings starting in Athlone, Co Westmeath next Monday, to push for the framework to be “completely altered”, said Mr Kelly.

Their opposition raises the prospect of a clash with Government and a risk to Fianna Fáil’s confidence-and-supply agreement with the Fine Gael-led coalition as their objections represent the views of their parties.

Fianna Fáil had “huge concerns” for the rural implications of this plan, said Mr Ó Cuív, and the party was pressing for changes to the draft framework.

“Everything in politics is about negotiation,” said the Galway West TD.

‘Pretty seismic’Mr Kelly warned that the draft plan for “Ireland 2040”, which had – unlike previous national spatial plans – to be put on a statutory footing, would not pass the Oireachtas. He warned that this would have “pretty seismic” consequences for subsequent budgetary plans on capital expenditure to finance the programme.

“We don’t believe that this plan can get through those houses across the road,” the Tipperary TD told a press conference in Buswells Hotel across from Leinster House in Dublin.

He said that the draft plan was “generic” and lacked ambition, would create an imbalance in the country by concentrating investment too heavily on Dublin and would “choke” the capital city.

Mr Ó Broin, the Dublin Mid-West TD, said that Sinn Féin was “very concerned” about the consultation process given that only 750 submissions were received on the initial document.

The framework would still create “chronic over-concentration” on Dublin and the surrounding region, he said, and suggested greater focus on the cross-Border Letterkenny-Derry and Dublin-Belfast corridors.

Mr Ó Cuív described the plan as “anti-rural” and said that it was based on “late 20th century” rather than 21st century planning by failing to account for how much more people work remotely now.

“There is a huge presumption here against protecting the right of people to live within the townlands that they came from,” he said.

It will be a little for everyone. I have zero faith in this government to fastrack the most important project that Dublin needs. Pascal already shitcanned lots of the work on DART Underground when he was transport minister, now he controls finance good luck. We’ll get the linear Metro North which will help his constituency, helps only people on that line.

I see the Rural Alliance is also kicking up because the proposed trauma centres of excellence are proposed for Dublin and Cork, with none in the west. It appears they don't understand that a hospital in the west would not get the numbers of patients required to be a centre of excellence.

anyone catch that section of Primetime last night about Sepsis ? fcukin hell, didn't realize how prevalent it is - kills about 3,000 people a year in Ireland, kills more than a combined list of various cancers and other medical conditions. 1 in 5 die, if you survive it it can come back and fcuk you again.

They total some € 5 bn, of which VAT is up 5% to some 2.4 bn a new record beating the previous celtic tiger figure. This would suggest that the High Street had a very merry Christmas indeed. Income tax was up some 6.6%, suggesting last years modelling problems have been sorted by the Dept. of Finance.

anyone catch that section of Primetime last night about Sepsis ? fcukin hell, didn't realize how prevalent it is - kills about 3,000 people a year in Ireland, kills more than a combined list of various cancers and other medical conditions. 1 in 5 die, if you survive it it can come back and fcuk you again.

sepsis is often a consequence of something else

so you have cancer or pneumonia or have an accident then you get sepsis

A TENANT who was unlawfully evicted from his home by businessman Paul Howard has told how he left Ireland because he felt "extremely intimidated".

Bruno Clement (29) described how his belongings were thrown out on the street after eight men forced their way into the apartment and evicted the seven people living there.

The incident happened in January 2016 after the receivers appointed to the apartment wrote to the tenants advising them not to pay any more rent to their landlord, Paul Howard.

Howard demanded that the tenants continue to pay rent cash-in-hand and after they refused, due to written instructions from Cabot Financial, he evicted them from the apartment and refused to return their deposits.

All tenants had to sleep in emergency accommodation and hostels after their "distressing" experience.

Three of the seven lodged complaints to the Residential Tenancies Board and Howard was ordered to pay them a total of €7,694.

None of the tenants, including Mr Clement who is owed €3,260, have received a cent to date.

Mr Clement said he left Ireland shortly after his ordeal.

Shower in the room.jpgBruno Clement's room had a shower in the corner and 'no windows'He claims Mr Howard called him "numerous" times after he lodged the complaint and said he felt "extremely intimidated".

In texts seen by Independent.ie, Mr Howard said "Enjoy your life...remember what you did and what you did to me... you only have two choices 1. Pay your invoice or 2. walk away now... after your lies..."

"Once he called me and said 'this is what happens when you mess with Paul Howard'", he told Independent.ie.

"I was away at the time when the men forced their way in [to the apartment]. It was really frightening for the others living there. We called the police but there was nothing they could do because it was a civil matter. We originally changed the locks but he [Howard] kept going to the apartment, banging on the door and shouting 'give me my money, give me my money."

Mr Clement said his room was "the crappiest ever", had no windows and there was a shower in the corner of the room.

He moved in on December 1, 2015 and paid €600 rent and a €600 deposit before being removed from the apartment the following month.

"I once asked him could I wire money instead of paying cash and he said no, strictly cash. Sometimes he would get people to go to his launderette business to pay.

"He kept calling me saying I wouldn't get back my deposit. I lost so much valuable stuff after everything that happened. They smashed the door and eight men, like really muscular men, went into each room with flash lights and they put every belonging into bin bags and the two of them went outside on the street. All our belongings were mixed up so I didn't get a lot of them back as I was away at the time.

"I couldn't afford the legal fees to do anything so I just left it, but when I read about everything happening with him this week I had to speak out."

Last week, a man was hospitalised after a group of "up to ten men" forcibly removed tenants from another apartment owned by Paul Howard in Mountjoy Square.

"We were in bed and we heard a load of banging this morning, it was like a sledgehammer banging off something. Then there was a load of commotion and the tenants were all outside in the hallway in their pyjamas after being dragged out," a resident of the building told Independent.ie.

"There were around 10 heavies and they have now locked themselves inside," he added.

slum lords 2.jpgDamage done to the front door of the apartment Picture: Amy MolloySix tenants had been sharing the apartment in Mountjoy Square.

The High Court issued an injunction before Christmas blocking Paul Howard from evicting the tenants until the termination of the dispute resolution proceedings with the Residential Tenancies Board.

On Wednesday, receiver Ken Fennell secured another interim injunction against Paul Howard and Una McClean, who it's understood are in a relationship, preventing them from interfering with properties in Mountjoy Square, Harold's Cross, and Kilnamanagh, Tallaght.

The order requires the defendants, their agents and all persons with knowledge of the injunction to cease trespassing, not damage, not collect rent from tenants, and hand over possession of the properties to the receiver.

Counsel said that Mr Fennell's representative found a mother and her daughter living in a one roomed shed beside another of Mr Howard's properties.

Counsel said there also had been an attempt by Mr Howard and another person to remove a representative of the receiver from one of the properties.

Mr Howard said "should I even reply" when asked to comment on the above.

He later said: "The story is wrong. At this time we have been advised not to comment."

Surely if he's violating an injunction, it's no longer just a civil matter?

Of course, the number of guards with rental properties wouldn't have any influence on their thinking I'm sure.

The RTB would have to go to court and show the judge that the injunction was being ignored. Only then could the judge take action by instructing the Gardaí to arrest him, freeze his bank accounts etc. In Ireland the Gardaí are not supposed to decide for themselves whether or not you're in compliance with an injunction.

Surely if he's violating an injunction, it's no longer just a civil matter?

Of course, the number of guards with rental properties wouldn't have any influence on their thinking I'm sure.

The RTB would have to go to court and show the judge that the injunction was being ignored. Only then could the judge take action by instructing the Gardaí to arrest him, freeze his bank accounts etc. In Ireland the Gardaí are not supposed to decide for themselves whether or not you're in compliance with an injunction.

And that's before we get to breaking and entering along with putting people in hospital.

But I do understand that there's a lot of paperwork to be filled out before they can intervene to prevent physical injury.

So the OECD director of tax policy Pascal Saint-Amans says that the OECD has no problem with Ireland's corporate tax regime and commends Ireland for being among the first countries to implement Beps. He also notes that the OECD think that the amount of corporate tax that is paid in Ireland is sustainable, and that it is increasing because the Beps process is causing MNCs to onshore funds.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Mons. Macron.

Quote:

Mr Saint-Amans - who has spearheaded the OECD's base erosion and profit shifting (Beps) project, a co-ordinated international approach to combat tax avoidance by multinationals - said Ireland was implementing the Beps measures.

"Ireland has implemented the Beps project, so I think it's fine," he said. "Today, I wouldn't say we have a problem with Ireland on this or that."

Mr Saint-Amans also said that the surge in corporation tax receipts here in recent years ias sustainable. CT receipts have almost doubled since 2014 to €8.2bn and now account for 16pc of total tax receipts.

"I would say that the reason for the growth of Irish corporate income tax may be linked, and significantly so, to the recent international tax developments," Mr Saint-Amans said.

"We had a good understanding with the Irish authorities, Michael Noonan, to say if you want to remain attractive and sustainable with the 12.5pc rate, you need to implement the 12.5 and get rid of all the schemes and facilities to reduce the rate by shifting profits to zero tax jurisdictions.

"As a result of Beps, you will have seen some on-shoring of activities which do explain the bulging of the tax base of companies in Ireland. Is it sustainable? Yeah, sure."

Train drivers at Irish Rail are to ballot for an all-out strike in a dispute over mentoring of new driving staff.

The National Bus and Rail Union said it would ballot all train and Dart drivers for strike action “as a result of an unprecedented attack on long-standing industrial relations procedures by forcing changes to terms and conditions within the training regime without agreement”.

The ballot result is expected to be known by about February 20th. The union would have to give one week’s notice of any strike action.

However, sources said any move by the company to force through changes could lead to an unofficial dispute before then.

Train drivers overwhelmingly rejected a deal last month which would have seen them receive a 1.15 per cent pay rise for past productivity in return for co-operation in mentoring about 30 new drivers.

Up to now, mentoring has been viewed as a voluntary arrangement.

However, management at Irish Rail told staff last month that from January 25th, it would pay the 1.15 per cent rise for past productivity in addition to a recently-agreed general pay increase of 2.5 per cent, which is being paid to all staff.

Management also said that from that time, it would amend drivers’ terms and conditions “to reflect the fact that the mentoring of trainee drivers is a requirement of the role of train drivers, eliminating any suggestion that this task is voluntary in nature”.

Irish Rail said that when undertaking mentoring arrangement, drivers would be paid an allowance of €31 per day - an increase of 35 per cent on the existing rate of €23.

The company maintained that the new drivers are required to facilitate plans for a 10-minute frequency Dart service and the expansion of commuter services.

NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary said management at the State-owned rail operator had set themselves on a course of major confrontation with train drivers.

He said management had “dispensed with longstanding practice, by completely ignoring the jointly agreed procedures around how industrial relation matters are addressed.

“The fact is that the agreed training regime at the company is currently one of a voluntarist nature, and is solely at the discretion of the individual driver. The decision to break this agreement by forcing actual changes to terms and conditions onto workers is both unprecedented and contrary to how disputed matters should be addressed within our dispute procedures; it has also moved the disputed matter from one of an individual employee/employer relationship, to one which now concerns the representative unions.”

Irish Rail said that driver training had to be allowed to resume. The company said any industrial action would damage the interests of both commuters and train drivers.

It said it would welcome the opportunity for engagement with unions .

“Due to a withdrawal of trade union co-operation with driver mentoring over the past 21 months, Iarnród Éireann has had to repeatedly defer the introduction of an increased 10-minute Dart frequency, and expansion of other commuter services, while passenger numbers have increased to record levels of 45.5 million in 2017,” the company said.

“In addition, this has seen the career progression of over 30 trainee drivers - employees and trade union members - stalled, as trade union non-co-operation prevented them from completing training, training which existing drivers have benefited from in the past.”

The company said it had engaged “repeatedly and extensively” with unions to resolve the issue over the past two years, under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court, resulting in a Labour Court recommendation last July addressing driver mentoring and past productivity.

It said unions requested a further engagement to develop a framework with the assistance of Kevin Duffy, former chairman of the Labour Court, to which it agreed.

“However, this recommendation and framework was rejected, and we now see the pressures on driver resources becoming intolerable in the face of growing demand.

“Driver training must be allowed to resume, and industrial action would damage the interests of commuters and drivers alike. We would welcome the opportunity for urgent engagement with trade unions through the industrial relations machinery of the state to resumed training is delivered at the earliest opportunity, for the good of our customers, and trainee driver colleagues.”

IR should be closed immediately and the drivers paid statutory redundancy

retain the network and the rolling stock in state hands but grant the operating license to a private operator after an open tender

a stipulation of the tender should be that any future drivers strike should result in the immediate loss of the license and a reversion to open tender

Agree.

Also the RPA should be reconstituted and budgeted properly to allow planning of upgrading the railway lines into Dublin, including the new line to Navan. The only hope for the very many towns that won't be included in the new national plan is to act as commuter towns for thost that are, and the necessary PT needs to be built.

IR should be closed immediately and the drivers paid statutory redundancy

retain the network and the rolling stock in state hands but grant the operating license to a private operator after an open tender

a stipulation of the tender should be that any future drivers strike should result in the immediate loss of the license and a reversion to open tender

Agree.

Also the RPA should be reconstituted and budgeted properly to allow planning of upgrading the railway lines into Dublin, including the new line to Navan. The only hope for the very many towns that won't be included in the new national plan is to act as commuter towns for thost that are, and the necessary PT needs to be built.

Have a look across the water to see privatising the rail system isn't the answer.

IR should be closed immediately and the drivers paid statutory redundancy

retain the network and the rolling stock in state hands but grant the operating license to a private operator after an open tender

a stipulation of the tender should be that any future drivers strike should result in the immediate loss of the license and a reversion to open tender

Agree.

Also the RPA should be reconstituted and budgeted properly to allow planning of upgrading the railway lines into Dublin, including the new line to Navan. The only hope for the very many towns that won't be included in the new national plan is to act as commuter towns for thost that are, and the necessary PT needs to be built.

Have a look across the water to see privatising the rail system isn't the answer.

You don't privatise the rail service. You keep ownership of the infrastructure, ie tracks and rollingstock, stations etc.; and tender out operations and maintenance for (say) five year periods.

IR have a lot of problems tied up in historic Ts and Cs, some of which probably date back to the days of steam, if not the old private companies. Try overnighting drivers outside of Dublin or Cork on the mainline to ensure early trains from (say) Port Laoise to Dublin and see that because of regulation relating bto the steam days it's not economically viable.

The aggregation of historic staff Ts and Cs is one of the major problems that IR have. Better let IR go bust and start again.

The jobs traditionally ran in families, right back to the original steam days.

Anyhoo, Ireland officially grew at 7.3 % last year. The celtic phoenix has well and truly arisen from the ashes.

Quote:

Irish economy growing three times faster than any other European countryHeadline growth last year is estimated to have been 7.3% - EU Commissionabout 3 hours agoPeter HamiltonThis year, the EU commission estimates Irish GDP growth to moderate to 4.4 per cent. Photograph: iStock

The economy grew by 7.3 per cent last year, three times faster than the wider euro area, according to new EU Commission estimates. The surge, driven by the activities of multinational companies operating here, would make the Republic the fastest-growing country in the EU.

Stripping out some of the contribution of multinationals, the EU Commission winter interim economic forecast finds that underlying domestic activity grew by 4.9 per cent in the first three quarters of 2017 - still double that of the euro area.

“Consumer spending and construction investment are forecast to drive GDP growth in the short term. Strong employment growth, particularly for full-time jobs, should underpin a rise in disposable income and household consumption over the next two years,” the commission said.

Suggesting that there is strong momentum ahead for the Irish economy, the commission signalled that investment in both residential and commercial construction will contribute “substantially” to the economic expansion.

On the broader picture, the commission warned that trade figures are heavily influenced by the activities of multinationals which, it says, are “subject to high uncertainty”.

For this year, the commission estimates that Irish GDP growth will moderate to 4.4 per cent, before slowing to 3.1 per cent in 2019. The 2019 projection is based on the assumption that trading relations between the EU27 and the UK will maintain the status quo. However, beyond that, the EU predicts that risks to the economic outlook are mainly linked to the outcome of Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU.

‘Robust health’The wider euro area and EU economies are both estimated to have grown by 2.4 per cent last year, the fastest pace in a decade. Economic commissioner Pierre Moscovici said Europe’s economy has entered “robust health”.

“The euro area is enjoying growth rates not seen since before the financial crisis. Unemployment and deficits continue to fall and investment is at last rising in a meaningful way. Economic growth is also more balanced than it was a decade ago - and provided we pursue smart structural reforms and responsible fiscal policies - it can also be more durable,” he added.

The commission raised GDP growth expectations for the EU this year to 2.3 per cent and to 2 per cent for 2019.

Inflation, meanwhile, is forecast to stay subdued in the euro area while Irish inflation will also remain subdued and is expected to pick up “only gradually”.

french finance minister throwing more shapes today re: digital tax. When you read between the lines hes essentially saying, "we want the tax so that we can piss it against the wall of french public service inefficiencies"

I've said it before, but we should actually agree to the french proposal re: taxing internet giants based on location of revenues, if the french also agree that half of the tax Airbus pays to paris should be rerouted to Dublin instead .... since thats where 50% of their customer base (aircraft leasing firms) is domiciled.

I reckon we'd lose up to €1.5bn and gain close to €5bn in that scenario

in other news, Pascal D made a great speech to IBEC today on the 'new economy'.

He used a priceless analogy with regard to what we need to do in order to prosper in a world of capitalism without capital (i.e. the intangible asset economy of IP and digital services). He asked do we need a johnny sexton digital policy drop kick that will see us to victory, or is our future success dependant on multiple determined phases of ramming our competitive advantages home. Given which country we just beat, it isn't hard to come to the conclusion that the speech was aimed at macron & co

It would appear that we have the Easterns (Hungary, Poland and Romania) and Nordics (Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the three Baltics) on our side of the table, along with the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. That's 12 of the 27 including ourselves. The Commission won't go ahead on those numbers, as even under QV, two thirds of countries are needed, and, in any event, they won't let it get near a vote that would split the community to that extent.

french finance minister throwing more shapes today re: digital tax. When you read between the lines hes essentially saying, "we want the tax so that we can piss it against the wall of french public service inefficiencies"

I've said it before, but we should actually agree to the french proposal re: taxing internet giants based on location of revenues, if the french also agree that half of the tax Airbus pays to paris should be rerouted to Dublin instead .... since thats where 50% of their customer base (aircraft leasing firms) is domiciled.

I reckon we'd lose up to €1.5bn and gain close to €5bn in that scenario

in other news, Pascal D made a great speech to IBEC today on the 'new economy'.

He used a priceless analogy with regard to what we need to do in order to prosper in a world of capitalism without capital (i.e. the intangible asset economy of IP and digital services). He asked do we need a johnny sexton digital policy drop kick that will see us to victory, or is our future success dependant on multiple determined phases of ramming our competitive advantages home. Given which country we just beat, it isn't hard to come to the conclusion that the speech was aimed at macron & co

Yeah it's fairly cheeky trying to limit it to internet companies. The profit dealers make on cars is either a big fat zero or as good as.

french finance minister throwing more shapes today re: digital tax. When you read between the lines hes essentially saying, "we want the tax so that we can piss it against the wall of french public service inefficiencies"

I've said it before, but we should actually agree to the french proposal re: taxing internet giants based on location of revenues, if the french also agree that half of the tax Airbus pays to paris should be rerouted to Dublin instead .... since thats where 50% of their customer base (aircraft leasing firms) is domiciled.

I reckon we'd lose up to €1.5bn and gain close to €5bn in that scenario

in other news, Pascal D made a great speech to IBEC today on the 'new economy'.

He used a priceless analogy with regard to what we need to do in order to prosper in a world of capitalism without capital (i.e. the intangible asset economy of IP and digital services). He asked do we need a johnny sexton digital policy drop kick that will see us to victory, or is our future success dependant on multiple determined phases of ramming our competitive advantages home. Given which country we just beat, it isn't hard to come to the conclusion that the speech was aimed at macron & co

Yeah it's fairly cheeky trying to limit it to internet companies. The profit dealers make on cars is either a big fat zero or as good as.

How about wines exported to Ireland from France. or flower bulbs from Holland? It's a nonsense concept, pure and simple.

I see that Paisley Jnr and Wee Sammy have both advocated that the Brits go into negotiations with the EU roaring "No Surrender", on the same day that the British Government itself estimated that Brexit will reduce the GDP of NI by 12% over current estimates over the following 15 yrs.

The DUP are probably the stupidest party in western politics, they’ll be dead in a generation and won’t have done NI any favours. When you have relatively reasonable chaps like Armchair Superstar going ape at people pointing that out though you just know politics is f**ked there.

I see that Paisley Jnr and Wee Sammy have both advocated that the Brits go into negotiations with the EU roaring "No Surrender", on the same day that the British Government itself estimated that Brexit will reduce the GDP of NI by 12% over current estimates over the following 15 yrs.

Are these guys economically illiterate ?

I almost admire their stubborn willingness to find a trench they can climb down into, just so they can have the glory of clambering out of it again to a refrain of whistles, straight into a maelstrom of shot and shell.

Here are some interesting stats on Irish economy, highest amount of start ups ever last year, double the amount of start ups V closures.Insolvencies nearly half the peak of 2011 but still a good bit off 2008.€6.2 billion in bad debts last year